It's clear from the context that was Assad's officials, not civilized ones. Believing anything they say is like believing a robber who says it was someone else who robbed the bank, even though the cameras had caught him red handed. But I can't tell you how you use your freedom of choice - it's yours.
I support neither of the two, but that doesn't mean I support Obama, or someone else. I support common sense. I think power corrupts people, the more power they have the more corrupted they are, and the two you admire both seem to be going for unlimited power.